


A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

by FlyAndDontLookBack



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Art, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Art, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-06-07 11:58:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6802855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyAndDontLookBack/pseuds/FlyAndDontLookBack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And sometimes, those thousand words can change someone's life. Artist!Kuroko. (AKA in which Kuroko is an amazing artist and people who unwillingly get dragged into his home experience something life changing)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hanamiya Makoto

**Author's Note:**

> Here is another story I've been working on (a drabble fic that shouldn't be so long but I make it long without even noticing).  
> It'll focus on Artist!Kuroko and all the works he makes, which have all been inspired by other works of art that I will post at the end of the story if you want to see where I got the inspiration from.
> 
> Hope you like it :)

** HEADS UP **

  1. **This will completely ignore the time schemes. I’m going to upload the characters the order in which I want to write them at. So, for example, one chapter could be after the Winter Cup, and the next could be in the time when Seirin beat Kaijo at a practice match. I will put the time in which the chapter will be at to not get anyone confused.**  

  2. **It is highly likely that the characters, aka victims, will be OOC. One because the plot demands it, and two because I can’t get out of my comfort zone to write really mean characters. So, forgive me if I can’t really write these types of characters well and let us hope that I will be able to write them better i the near future.  
  
**
  3. **The portraits/paintings that I will mention in each chapter are pictures I found on the Internet. To give you guys a better perspective on the what the victims will be witnessing, I’ll put the links up both at the end of the chapter. There will sometimes be more than one painting the characters will witness.**



* * *

_Rating: T_

_Pairings: None_

_Time frame: A few days after the Seirin VS Kirisaki Daiichi match_

_First chapter: Hanamiya Makoto_

* * *

 Hanamiya Makoto couldn’t believe his eyes. There he had been, running away from the seniors who had been ‘persuaded’ to quit the team, when he stumbled upon an unknown road that was dark as midnight. The only thing lighting the road was a small beam, as if a light was turned on from far away. He had decided to follow the light’s direction, in hopes of finding some shelter since he obviously couldn’t go back to his home with the seniors wanting his blood. When he had finally encountered where the light was coming from, he froze, bringing him to this situation. The house in front of him - actually, house was an understatement. It was one of the most luxurious mansions Hanamiya had ever seen, and he had seen many photos on the internet. He gulped, his guilty pleasure of money rising, and was about to take one step forward to admire the mansion even further when the door suddenly opened and came out a person Hanamiya never expected to see.

Why the hell was Kuroko Tetsuya coming out of the house with a garbage bag? 

Hanamiya looked at Seirin’s phantom sixth man with shock as said player was currently struggling to take out the trash. Hanamiya then came to the conclusion that Kuroko couldn’t possible own such a house and this was just a part-time job he had taken to earn some extra money.

That is, that was what Hanamiya thought until a maid came out as well and accidentally bumped into Kuroko. When she finally saw the teal-haired boy, she bowed and apologized immediately.

“I’m so sorry, Tetsuya-sama!” The maid distressed and Hanamiya blanched for a full five seconds.

‘Tetsuya-sama?’

“It is alright, Nakashima-san.” Kuroko replied and reassured the maid, now known as Nakashima, who was currently shaking visibly.

“You do not have to refer to me so formally, Tetsuya-sama! And what are you doing?” She suddenly asked, noticing the garbage bag in Kuroko’s hands.

“I was taking out the trash.” Kuroko answered simply and the maid sighed.

“Tetsuya-sama, you know that you can just order us to do it.” She exasperated and Kuroko shrugged.

“It is my trash. I should be responsible for it.” Kuroko reasoned and the maid took the garbage bag from him.

“Tetsuya-sama, we are grateful that you don’t want to bother us much. But this is our job. Please let us do it.” She said and took the bag from Kuroko's hands. She then started to drag the heavy looking trash to the backyard. Hanamiya saw Kuroko looking at the disappearing maid with blank eyes before sighing to himself.

Kuroko was about to go back inside when both Hanamiya and Kuroko jumped at the loudening shouts. Hanamiya cursed and was about to run once more when his eyes met Kuroko’s. Kuroko tilted his head before registering the more comprehensible voices.

“You’re fucking dead, Hanamiya! You understand that?”

“Wait until I get my hands on you, little brat!”

“Dibs on ripping his head apart!”

Kuroko’s eyes widened slightly before running to the front lawn and opening the ominous looking gate.

“Please come in.” Kuroko said with his stoic voice and Hanamiya was about to decline in his usual snarky voice but was then pulled inside. He saw Kuroko holding his wrist tightly and before he knew it, he was inside the mansion.

Nakashima, who had just returned from taking out the trash, looked confused as to why Kuroko had just brought in a stranger when she herself heard the threats and shouts from outside. She raise her eyebrow at the stranger and Hanamiya just shrugged.

“And who might this be?” She asked, suspicious.

“He is one of my basketball opponents.” Kuroko answered and though Nakashima gave Hanamiya a skeptical look, she sighed, giving up with trying to understand her boss’s son.

“And I believe he will be staying for the night?” She then asked and Hanamiya looked at the maid with wide eyes.

“What?” He started to say but was cut off by Kuroko.

“Yes, he will. If it won’t be any trouble, you would mind preparing the guest bedroom?” Kuroko asked politely and Nakashima smiled. Who would have thought that a boy with so much power and money could be so polite and humble?

“Of course, Tetsuya-sama.” Nakashima then bowed and left the scene. It was then that Hanamiya registered that he was in a mansion with one of his most hated basketball opponents and he vehemently started to protest.

“I am not staying for the night with the likes of you!” Hanamiya revolted but Kuroko just pointed at the clock, which at the moment was pointing to 10:45.

“It is far too late for you to roam at night, Hanamiya-san. Besides, I doubt those people who were threatening to, as they said, rip your head off, are going give up on searching for you until morning. Even though I find you a despicable person, I cannot just leave the person alone and helpless when I know I can do something about it.” Kuroko said bluntly as Hanamiya let out a rude noise at Kuroko’s comment.

“You think I’m helpless?” Hanamiya sneered, eyebrows furrowing in anger, but Kuroko stared at him blankly before answering.

"Anyone would be helpless in this case. Please cooperate for today.” Kuroko said and Hanamiya looked like he wanted to protest further. However, just as he was about to, another maid came in with an enormous package in her arms.

“Tetsuya-sama, your order has arrived!” She said enthusiastically and Kuroko bowed.

“Thank you for bringing that in. Would you mind leaving it in my room? And be careful. I accidentally spilled some paint on the floor that I have not yet cleaned.” He added and the maid's eyes widened.

“Mou, Tetsuya-sama, you should know by now that we can clean that up for you. It’s our job.”

“It is my fault for being so careless.”

“Even so. We’ll clean it up immediately.” Kuroko looked like he wanted to say something about it but the maid shushed him before going up the white and gold stairs.

“What was that? Porn?” Hanamiya snickered and Kuroko did not look amused for a second.

“They are materials that I needed. I am glad it came earlier than expected.” Kuroko answered vaguely before motioning Hanamiya to come upstairs with him.

“The guestroom is upstairs. Nakashima-san must be done by now.” Said maid was descending from the stairs.

“The room is ready, Tetsuya-sama.” She bowed before leaving. Hanamiya was still very reluctant to go with Kuroko but his guilty pleasure as well his curiosity was gnawing at him with immense strength. So, eventually, he agreed to follow the smaller boy.

They had not even reached the guestroom and Hanamiya felt like he was in paradise. The hallway was shining brightly with chandeliers barely dangling from the ceiling and the walls were decorated with paintings that were ecstatically breath-taking. For a moment, Hanamiya wondered who had painted them for they were originals that he had never seen before, and he had seen many when he was younger. He was about to ask Kuroko about them but stopped at the last second. Just what was Hanamiya doing, being all buddy-buddy with Kuroko? He hated him, as well as the rest of Seirin. Kirisaki Daiichi was just defeated days ago and yet here Hanamiya was, agreeing to sleep in the same roof with the one man who had caused this whole commotion in the first place.

Just as he was about to back out of this whole situation, Kuroko stopped in front of a door and opened to reveal a room that may as well been bigger than his whole house. Hanamiya’s eyes widened significantly and Kuroko gestured him to go in.

“I hope this room is to your liking. This room is normally for father’s business partners but father is currently in Europe, so there will be no guests at the moment. Unfortunately, the bathroom in this room is out of order, so you will have to use the one at the end of the hall. Please have a pleasant night.” Kuroko explained and walked away, remembering to close the door behind him.

Hanamiya took this time to inspect the room with complete awe. He walked hesitantly before outright running around the massive guestroom. The bed was covered with curtains that made it look kingly and around it stood sofas and chairs that looked antique yet modern at the same time. The ceiling, naturally, had a chandelier hanging and the lights gleamed with specks of gold reflecting a big mirror that was on the wall. Hanamiya took a 360 turn and finally collapsed on the bed, which was soft and unbearably comfortable.

Had it not been for his guilty pleasure for money and luxury like this, Hanamiya would have walked out immediately.

The bed took ahold of him and he was seconds away to passing out - he had been running away from his seniors for hours - but a painting on the wall caught his eye at the last second. He, with much difficulty, departed from the bed and walked over to the alluring painting. It was a portrait of a graceful looking woman with luscious white hair and a perfect face; perfectly curled eyelashes, fully puckered red lips, and green eyes that could capture one's soul with just one look. However, Hanamiya could detect that there was a hint of sadness in the woman’s eyes, even though she was smiling brightly. His hand unconsciously reached to the hand that was plastered on the painting as well, and somehow, behind all snark and arrogance, his heart skipped a beat.

What was happening to him?

He immediately released his hand from the painting with force and stumbled back, now scared of the painting. He swallowed a lump in his throat and crawled to the heavily cushioned bed. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and tossed around the bed before finally getting to the position he desired.

His last thought before falling into a deep sleep was how a painting, a lifeless, meaningless object, could make him feel this way. As if the painted woman had single-handedly opened Pandora’s box that was his heart with ease.

* * *

It was long over 3 in the morning when Hanamiya had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom. He cursed when opened his eyes because he hadn’t had such a peaceful sleep in a long time. However, nature called and Hanamiya had no choice but get up and go. He stumbled into the room’s bathroom but remembered at the last second that it was out of order and the bathroom he would have to use would be all the way down the hall. At first Hanamiya decided that it wasn’t worth leaving the bed and he would just wait until it was completely morning, but after a few minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore and barged out of the room in search for the godforsaken bathroom.

Once he was done, he felt refreshed and sauntily started to walk back to the guestroom when he caught a small gold light beaming from the corner of the hallway. Curious, he quietly walked to the end of the corner and peered his head behind the wall to see where the beam of light was coming from. His eyes laid on a closed door that had the light seeping through the crack at the bottom of the door and Hanamiya’s curiosity peaked.

Cautiously, he tiptoed over to the ominous door and turned the doorknob gently. He mentally sighed in relief that whoever was in that door did not notice yet, and he carefully turned the doorknob all the way and pushed the door slightly so that he could see who the mysterious person was.

His eyes widened dramatically at the scene before him.

“Hanamiya-san?” Kuroko’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts and Hanamiya, completely unlike him, started to stutter an excuse. However, he couldn’t help but gaze at the mess that was Kuroko’s room. Half of the room was covered with newspapers everywhere, even the walls and parts of the ceiling, and most of the newspapers were damaged with various paint colors, ranging from the basic red and blue to mixtures that did not even have names. Kuroko himself looked as if he was hit by the tornado of paint as his face showed signs of dried paint and his apron ruined by the variety of un-matching splotches.

And then, his eyes stopped at the hanged paintings that covered the rest of Kuroko’s room. His heart skipped the same beat and Hanamiya clutched it, almost painfully.

“Hanamiya-san?” Kuroko asked once more and Hanamiya finally looked at the phantom sixth player.

“You… You drew the portrait, didn’t you? The woman in the guestroom.” He managed to say as his heart grew tighter.

“I did.” Kuroko said slowly, unable to comprehend why Hanamiya was acting like this.

“Let me in. I need to… I need to clear something up.” Hanamiya gasped out and pushed his way through, making Kuroko stagger a bit to get out of his way. He rushed to one of the paintings that was hanging on the wall and saw an intricately painted shadow in the middle of a ray of light, penetrating the shadow as if it were trying to make an opening in the darkness. He choked on air as he went to the next one. And the next one. And the next one.

Each made his heart break further.

And finally, just when he couldn’t take it anymore, he saw a portrait of a face he knew so well.

“Kiyoshi...?” Hanamiya whispered, his voice strained. Kuroko just stared at the Kirisaki Daiichi player with a blank look.

“Why? Why do you have Kiyoshi here?” He asked as he collapsed to the ground. Kuroko didn’t move to help him up or to even comfort him. He stayed uprooted in his place, only observing him.

“He is one of the people I respect the most. He is also the one who encouraged me to keep improving, even though I believed that I wouldn’t be able to do it. If it were not for Kiyoshi senpai, Seirin would not be where it is today.” Kuroko explained impassively and Hanamiya felt a sudden rage that even he could not explain.

“Then why? Why does he have that sad look in his eyes?” He raged. Kuroko tilted his head as he looked at the portrait himself.

“I see no sad look, Hanamiya-san. That is just your interpretation. It may be that you see a sad look because of how you feel like inside.” Kuroko said and Hanamiya stopped moving.

‘I see a sad look because of how I feel inside?’

“Hanamiya-san, were you truly happy when you hurt Kiyoshi senpai?” Kuroko asked but Hanamiya couldn’t answer.

‘How do I feel inside?’

“Do you truly feel happy with the misery of others?”

‘Am I sad?’

“Do you truly enjoy hurting others?”

‘I don’t know. I just don’t know.’

“Hanamiya-san?” Kuroko finally started to move to where Hanamiya was and when the Kirisaki Daiichi player felt a hand touching his back, he made no move to shrug it off.

“I don’t know. I… just don’t know anymore.” Hanamiya croaked while Kuroko kept soothing him. That night, Hanamiya felt Pandora’s box opening and finally letting out the only thing left: hope.

* * *

When morning finally came, Hanamiya opened his eyes to the warmth of the sun seeping through the windows. He stretched widely and yawned, covering his mouth in habit. He then registered that he wasn’t in the guestroom and he remembered what had happened last night with Hanamiya’s breakdown and Kuroko’s somewhat calming tone.

Instead of feeling embarrassed that was to be disguised with arrogance and pride, he just blinked, only feeling grateful. He searched for the smaller boy and it took him three tries before he finally saw Kuroko hunching over a stool, looking very uncomfortable. Hanamiya sighed before standing up and walking over to the teal-haired boy. He was about to pick him up bridal style and carry him to his own bed when his eyes took a glimpse at Kuroko’s new painting. His breath glitched and at that moment, Kuroko’s eyes opened slowly.

“Hanamiya-san?” He asked drowsily.

“I didn’t mean to wake you up.” He said, completely unlike him.

“It is fine. I needed to wake up either way. Did you have a good sleep?”

“Yeah.”

“That is good.” The conversation died just like that and Hanamiya itched to ask two very important questions, the first regarding the unfinished painting he had just witnessed.

“Kuroko, what is this?” He then asked while pointing to the unfinished painting and Kuroko looked at it briefly before looking back at Hanamiya.

“It is something I want to finish when Seirin wins the Winter Cup.” He answered and Hanamiya laughed. A genuine laugh, not one filled with cruelty and misery.

“And how can you be so sure that you’re going to win?” He asked.

“I just know it.” Kuroko said with a small smile and Hanamiya had an urge to smile with him.

“Well, it’s looking good. Keep it up.” Hanamiya said awkwardly, not used to being this nice, and Kuroko just nodded.

They both got ready to leave, Hanamiya to his home and Kuroko to basketball practice, and Nakashima was at the front door, waiting for both of them.

"Are you ready to leave, Tetsuya-sama?" She asked while bowing and Kuroko nodded. "I hope you had a nice stay, Hanamiya-san." She then said as she looked at the taller boy. He just nodded.

They walked to the gate and Nakashima opened it while still bowing. Kuroko thanked the maid before stepping out with Hanamiya. Nakashima left the two boys and went back to the house. They needed to walk their separate ways, and Kuroko bowed to Hanamiya.

"Goodbye, Hanamiya-san." He said, still stoic, and Hanamiya nodded. However, just before they separated, Hanamiya patted Kuroko's head while looking the other way.

“Mind painting something for me and my team, too?” He asked, embarrassed. He felt Kuroko tilted his head but then nod.

“Of course, Hanamiya-san.” He responded and Hanamiya hid a smile.

"See you, cunt." And with that, Hanamiya left the teal-haired boy.

Though Hanamiya couldn't see him, Kuroko gave him a small smile, grateful that a horrible person like Hanamiya could change for the better.

* * *

“Tetsuya-sama, what are you doing with that painting?” Nakashima asked as she stared at the small boy struggling to carry portrait that was twice his size.

“I was going to the post office. I need to send this to someone.” He responded while shifting the wrapped up package to make it more comfortable for him. Sadly, it failed. Nakashima sighed with a smile on her face and helped him carry it.

“What did you paint this time, Tetsuya-sama?” She asked as Kuroko thanked her for the help.

“A team.” He answered simply and Nakashima’s eyes glittered with recognition.

“Is it the young man who slept over a month ago?” She asked and Kuroko looked at her, a bit shocked.

“You still remember him?” He asked and Nakashima nodded.

“I recall that some people were to trying to… Rip his head off?” Kuroko nodded and they both went outside.

“Yes, that is him. He requested that I draw something for him and I could not reject.” Kuroko elaborated.

“Did it come out well?” Nakashima asked as she waved at one of the man servants to help them. Kuroko smiled slightly.

“Yes, it did.” He said softly and Nakashima smiled warmly at him.

“Then, I do believe that we should send this to him as fast as we can. Sasaki-san, would you mind helping Tetsuya-sama?” She asked as the man servant, now known as Sasaki, came towards them. Sasaki, in turn, nodded.

“I do not need help.” Kuroko tried to protest but Nakashima shut him down.

“Tetsuya-sama, you can barely hold this without tripping.” She said and Kuroko couldn’t retort back. Sasaki took the package from him and held it with no problem. Kuroko bowed at Nakashima for helping him and went his way with Sasaki to the post office.

Once they were gone, Nakashima recalled when she had gone inside Kuroko’s bedroom to start cleaning up and landing her eyes on the unfinished painting. Though some color was missing on people’s faces and the depths and dimensions were not that prominent, no one could deny the emotions each person was carrying on the portrait.

The one in the middle, Hanamiya as she remembered, had tears in his eyes, clutching his heart and having his teammates surrounding him with equally tearful faces. It did not say much but anyone could see the deep connection they had with each other, as both a team and as long lasting friends.

‘Hanamiya’s a lucky person to be getting something so beautiful. Tetsuya-sama, your artistic boundaries seem to have no limit.’ She thought as she went back inside the mansion. ‘Let the other one be as breathtaking as this one.’

* * *

 

 


	2. Haizaki Shougo

** HEADS UP **

  1. **This will completely ignore the time schemes. I’m going to upload the characters the order in which I want to write them at. So, for example, one chapter could be after the Winter Cup, and the next could be in the time when Seirin beat Kaijo at a practice match. I will put the time in which the chapter will be at to not get anyone confused.**
  2. **It is highly likely that the characters, aka victims, will be OOC. One because the plot demands it, and two because I can’t get out of my comfort zone to write really mean characters. So, forgive me if I can’t really write these types of characters well and let us hope that I will be able to write them better i the near future.  
  
**
  3. **The portraits/paintings that I will mention in each chapter are pictures I found on the Internet. To give you guys a better perspective on the what the victims will be witnessing, I’ll put the links up both at the end of the chapter. There will sometimes be more than one painting the characters will witness.**



* * *

_Rating: T_

_Pairings: Implied GoM X Kuroko_

_Time frame: A few days after the Haizaki VS Kise match_

_Warning: Implied thoughts of suicide_

_Second chapter: Haizaki Shougo_

* * *

 

 

He assumed that it would be another boring day, just like always. A day where he would wander around the streets of Tokyo while visiting his annoying relatives and sometimes get into fights where he would win victoriously. Today was no different except for the fact that this fight he got into left him with some scratches and bruises. He had realized later than sooner that his opponent for the day was a black belt at karate and was ridiculously good at fighting. However, Haizaki was at advantage; he knew that the opponent had never been street fighting before and therefore did not know the rules to it.

“Rule number one idiot: there are no rules in street fighting.” He had said before walking out of the alley, successfully winning this battle. 

His face had evidence that he was out being rebellious again and he knew that his parents and relatives would not shut up about it if he went back home, so he started walking around the city, trying to find something to amuse him.

And then he found it.

A flash of a familiar teal colored hair.

Haizaki smirked before pinpointing to where the sky blue hair had gone to. It was weird, being able to see Kuroko. Normally, he would have lost sight of him the moment a crowd appeared but today was different. The small boy seemed to be carrying something big over his head, not that that made it easier for others to spot him, which was just madness.

He caught up with Kuroko easily and started following him quietly. Shadowing a shadow was truly a fun experience, not that Haizaki would admit it to anybody. While following him, he started to ponder about his revenge. He knew that all the Generation of Miracles had a special place in their hearts for the phantom player and that they were all protective, whether directly or indirectly, of him as well. 

What better revenge was there than to beat up their most cared friend and make sure they all saw it?

With that idea in mind, Haizaki couldn’t help but smirk madly. It would be very easy to break Kuroko. He was fragile, like a baby bird that had just been hatched. He was daydreaming for sure now. Just the mere thought of seeing the Generation of Miracles reactions was both hilarious and addicting to him.

So, because he was so caught up in planning the whole event inside his mind, he did not notice

that Kuroko had stopped in front of a house and Haizaki just kept going his way. And then he heard someone call out his name.

“Haizaki-kun?” He turned around in shock to see Kuroko staring right at him and it was then that he realized that his cover was blown. However, he got over the shock quickly and put on an easy-going smirk.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Tetsuya?” He said casually and gave him a menacing smile. It didn’t seem to affect Kuroko in any way.

“What are you doing here?” The teal-haired boy asked in a stoic voice.

“What do you think?” He asked vaguely, licking his thumb with the tip of his tongue. Kuroko furrowed his eyebrows for a split second before opening the gate that led to an enormous mansion. For a moment, Haizaki had no words and only looked at the boy going in with immense surprise. And then, Kuroko spoke again.

“Haizaki-kun, please come in.” He couldn’t move as the shock was still with him. What the hell was Kuroko doing, barging into such a rich house as if it were his own?

Kuroko just stood in front of the gate, waiting for him.

“Haizaki-kun?” He asked and finally, Haizaki could feel his legs moving unconsciously towards the smaller boy. It was completely unlike him, to be following someone without knowing what their plan and/or objective was. Normally it would be Haizaki leading the people to where he wanted to go. It seemed he was getting all kinds of experiences in this supposedly average day.

As they walked up to the door, it was magically opened and when Haizaki peered inside the house, he saw that various maids were lined up, bowing formally.

“Welcome back, Tetsuya-sama.” They all said in sync and it took Haizaki a few moments to connect two and two together.

There was only one Tetsuya he knew in this entire place and the servants inside the mansion all bowed when Kuroko Tetsuya had come in.

His eyes grew wide as the realization punched him in the face. This really was Kuroko’s house. Kuroko owned a fucking mansion.

Kuroko had already started moving inside the house and Haizaki couldn’t think of anything other than to trail behind him. The smaller of the two put down the object he was carrying next to the white and gold stairs - white and gold - and called for a person with the name Nakashima. A petite woman with her brown hair locked tightly into a bun came into and bowed. Kuroko hastily pulled her back up and she laughed at the slightly distressed face Kuroko was making.

“I always keep forgetting that Tetsuya-sama doesn’t like to be bowed to.” Nakashima commented and Kuroko turned away to keep the people from seeing his face.

“Nakashima-san, please.” He said impassively as he turned back to the maid. “Would you mind getting the first aid kit? It seems my friend is hurt.” He then said and Nakashima took one good look at Haizaki’s dazed face before nodding and heading off to find the medical tools needed. It was now just Kuroko and Haizaki at the main entrance.

Haizaki, finally out of his trance, glanced at Kuroko with unbelieving eyes. How the fuck did a guy like Kuroko be one of the rich? Just the idea of having the weakling be in one of the richest families in all Japan did not coincide one bit. Judging by the size of the house, it seemed the money Kuroko’s family had could rival that of Akashi’s.

“Haizaki-kun, how did you get hurt?” Kuroko suddenly asked and at that moment, Haizaki remembered who he was.

“Hah? Why do you care? I was out, having a bit of fun.” He replied, his usual smirk returning to his facial features. Kuroko looked at him with his unnerving eyes and even he had to admit that those eyes would make anyone break.

Nakashima entered hurriedly with the first aid kit and Kuroko thanked her. Just as he was about to take the kit from her, she swung her arm away from him.

“I will take care of the wounds, Tetsuya-sama.” She supplied but Kuroko gave her his version of a stink eye.

“I can do it myself. He is my friend.” He insisted, though Haizaki wanted to snort at the word ‘friend’.

“I will do it.” She said strongly and Kuroko looked at the maid for a second before sighing.

“It seems I can never win with you, Nakashima-san. I will be right back. I need to put the canvas I bought to my room anyways.” And with that, Kuroko took the object, now identified as a canvas, and started walking up the glittering stairs.

After seeing the boy leave, Nakashima gestured Haizaki to follow her into one of the rooms.

“Oh, and where are we going?” Haizaki asked seductively. Nakashima ignored him and ordered him to sit on one of the chairs that was inside the room.

“Normally, it would be the guy telling the girl to sit on the chair, wouldn’t it?” He tried to seduce but failed when Nakashima glared at him fiercely. She opened the kit and started to put antiseptic onto a piece of cotton.

“You’re pretty cute, by the way. How old are you?” Haizaki tried once more, leaning over the table to get closer to the maid. He was instead met with a face full of antiseptic cotton and it burned like no tomorrow. He shrieked in pain as he pulled away from the cotton.

“Don’t touch your face or it’ll only make it worse.” Nakashima said coldly before getting another piece of cotton out. Haizaki tried to quickly recover from the pain that diminished slowly. He sat back down - he had stood up when the cotton was in contact with his face - and decided to stay at a distance where she wouldn’t attack him again with the antiseptic. This, however, did not stop him from harassing her with his vulgar comments.

“Come on, how about you and me have a little fun while we’re at this? I’m pretty rough but I can go soft on you if you want.” Nakashima looked absolutely disgusted and tried to cover his face with the cotton once more but he dodged it swiftly. He stood up from the chair and moved over to her side. She tried to escape but he caught her arm by the last second and pulled her towards him.

“Come on, baby, it’ll be really fun. I promise.” He whispered and he felt Nakashima shiver profoundly. He took this as a good sign and smirked. He slowly opened his mouth and started to stick out his tongue when he felt a sharp stab on the side of his stomach. He curled over immediately, releasing Nakashima from his grip, and doubled over. He looked up painfully to see Kuroko with a very angry face. In fact, he looked so angry that Haizaki suddenly regretted his actions greatly.

“You are not allowed in any way to harass the people here. You are a guest but even then, if you cross the line, I will be merciless.” Kuroko said in a cold voice that Haizaki had never heard before. Haizaki couldn’t say a word, more out of shock than pain, and he heard Nakashima’s footsteps fading away. When the pain from his stomach subsided, he stood up and grinned at Kuroko, recomposing himself.

“I was just teasing for a bit, Tetsuya. Loosen up” Haizaki shrugged but his eyes said differently. Kuroko looked unaffected by this and started to leave the room. Haizaki casually started to follow him out and stopped when two very buff people stood in front of him.

“Hah? What’s this?” He inquired aloud as the two people crossed their arms, preventing Haizaki from taking another step.

“Haizaki-kun, apologize to Nakashima-san immediately.” Kuroko ordered but Haizaki wasn’t fazed at all. He dealt with these kinds of people before and he always won. This would be easy as well.

“Really, Tetsuya? You want me to apologize?” He sneered as he looked at Nakashima, who was peering from behind the men with a glare. “Well, you’re going to have to defeat me first!” He yelled as he ran to make the first punch.

* * *

When Haizaki woke up, he first felt very disoriented. He felt like the world was spinning out of control. After blinking a couple of times, he could finally stopp the dizziness, if only slightly, and the next thing that occurred to him was that he didn’t know what happened.

He remembered challenging the very buff men with the intention of winning. Next, he only remembered getting punched in the face and seeing black.

Ah. Now he remembered. He got knocked out from one single punch. That was a new low, even for him.

“Are you awake, Haizaki-kun?” He heard someone ask and he couldn’t pinpoint where the person was. Then, he refocused his eyes and saw that Kuroko was standing right in front of him. He yelped in surprise before composing himself.

“What do you think, dipshit?” He sneered but his head was still pounding. Kuroko stared for a second before kneeling and taking out a drenched cotton. Haizaki knew exactly what the cotton had and was about to move away quickly but failed when he got another mouthful of the antiseptic. He howled in pain but that didn’t stop Kuroko from rubbing more.

After what seemed to be hours, the cotton stopped touching his face and the pain, which he was getting used to, stopped entirely.

“What the fuck, Tetsuya? That fucking hurt!” Haizaki yelled as Kuroko put the antiseptic back into the kit, not saying a word. Haizaki snarled to make Kuroko feel intimidated but got no response. It was then that he looked at his surroundings.

The room was filled with paint and canvases.

“What the hell…?” Haizaki muttered as he slowly stood up from the bed. Kuroko just looked at him impassively as he started to walk around.

“Where are we?” He asked as he passed a painting that was painted completely black except for the middle, where there stood a ray of light.

“We are in my room. After Kida-san knocked you down, I asked him to carry you up to my room.” Kuroko explained but it looked like Haizaki wasn’t listening to anything. He just kept looking at the paintings with a pained look on his face.

He saw portraits of people he didn’t know and people he did, all faces vibrant and cheerful. It made him want to rip the paintings out bit by bit.

Why can’t I be this happy?

He walked towards the painting of Kise and Kuroko standing next to each other, laughing.

Why can’t I have this?

He then saw the painting Kuroko was currently working on. It pained him greatly to see it - see them - and he turned away before he did something he would regret and walked to the next portrait.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

“Wh - What is this?” Haizaki asked with a cracked voice. It seemed like his throat was burning and dry. Kuroko looked at him intensely.

“It is a picture of you, Haizaki-kun.” Kuroko answered. Haizaki touched the canvas lightly, especially the light blue color that was dripping from the hair of the painting.

“Why?” He whispered. “I’m your enemy.” At that, Kuroko tilted his head.

“Why would you think that, Haizaki-kun? I never saw you as an enemy. Only as a friend.” He spoke softly and the horrible pain Haizaki was feeling in his heart burst.

He fell to the ground as his hand trailed down the painting of him. The colors that represented the Generation of Miracles as well as Kuroko’s color dripped from his head and slithered down to his neck. His portrait face seemed lost, confused, but glad at the same time, as if he knew that it was for the best to leave the basketball club in middle school.

“Haizaki-kun?” Kuroko asked as he walked over to the kneeling man.

“I don’t understand.” He replied. I don’t understand why I’m feeling this.

“You were part of the basketball club, and though we never interacted that much, I never thought of you as a bad person, Haizaki-kun.”

“Why did you draw me?” Why did you draw me like this?

“Why not?” Kuroko answered simply and Haizaki put his head down. They were quiet for a moment before Kuroko walked towards the painting and took it off the wall. He came to Haizaki and put the painting down in front of him.

“Would you like to keep it? It is your portrait, after all.” He explained and Haizaki looked at the canvas once more. The eyes were staring at him, as if into his black, rotten soul. They were assessing him, weren’t they? They were asking why he was a fucking piece of shit for a human. That’s what they were thinking, weren’t they?

Before Haizaki knew it, He had punched through the canvas.

And for what seemed like a long time in years, he started crying.

He was just a shit face who didn’t deserve to live, wasn’t he? He was just a lowly excuse for a human being. That what everyone thought, anyways. The students, the teachers, his teammates… Hell, even his relatives and parents thought the same thing, didn’t they? Why did he keep struggling like this if no one even liked him in the first place?

Why was he still here when he didn’t deserve to?

“Haizaki-kun, are you ok?”

Ah. Those few words just killed him. 

“I… don’t really know anymore.” He choked as tears kept trailing down his cheeks. And then he felt something touch his back in a soothing motion. He looked up to see Kuroko patting his back and he realized at that moment that this was the first time anyone had every comforted him.

Maybe someone does care for me, after all. He thought as he felt himself lean into Kuroko, wanting more of this warm feeling.

He liked it.

Maybe he would stay in this cruel world for a bit more.

* * *

“The painting…” Haizaki started but Kuroko shook his head.

“It is alright, Haizaki-kun. I was planning on giving it to you anyways. If you want, I can draw it again.” Kuroko said and Haizaki just looked at the hole in the painting.

“I think I’m good.” He responded and took the painting from Kuroko’s hands. “I’ll just keep this one.”

“Are you sure? It really doesn’t bother me.”

“It’s fine.” And with that, the conversation ended and Haizaki got ready to go out of Kuroko’s house. Before he stepped out, though, he looked back and spotted Nakashima mopping the floor but keeping her distance from him. Haizaki sighed mentally and shouted, “Sorry for being a douche, sweetie!”

It wasn’t technically an apology, but Haizaki would get there, someday. 

Kuroko smiled slightly as he went to Nakashima, who also seemed to relax.

“And here I thought you started making friends with, pardon my language, assholes like him.” She said with her hands on her hips.

“Haizaki-kun is not a horrible person.” Kuroko stated lightly and she laughed.

“No, it would seem that he’s not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Portrait of Haizaki www.zerochan.net/1770209
> 
> Portrait of Kise X Kuroko fujimochi.tumblr.com/post/79701490374
> 
> (None of these artworks are mine and go to their respective artists)

**Author's Note:**

> Portrait of Kiyoshi: sweetjeans.deviantart.com/art/Kiyoshi-Teppei-x-Reader-The-big-L-460153018
> 
> Portrait of Hanamiya (and team): www.zerochan.net/1644442
> 
> (None of these artworks are mine and go to their respective artists)


End file.
